I've always wondered about the proper way to store and reuse breastmilk that's already been used for a feeding, but I haven't been able to find a good answer anywhere.
Breastmilk is like liquid gold and wasting even an ounce is extremely painful! The American Academy of Pediatrics says to discard any used milk. Dr. Sears and most other sources say to save it for the next feeding and then toss. My lactation consultant told me to put it in the fridge and use it at the next feeding because the conservative guidelines for tossing milk are largely based on premature babies with underdeveloped immune systems. The moms in my mom group say they leave the milk at room temperature and use it at the next feeding.
According to
La Leche League:
While some mothers and caregivers reheat expressed milk that was leftover and refrigerated after a previous feeding, there is no research on the safety of this practice. There is also no research about whether freshly expressed milk left unfinished at room temperature should be discarded, or can be saved for a short time (perhaps up to one hour as reported by some mothers and caregivers) to finish the feeding if the baby wakens from having fallen asleep or still appears hungry.
According to THE BREASTFEEDING ANSWER BOOK, page 228, research indicates that human milk has previously unrecognized properties that protect it from bacterial contamination. One study, Pardou 1994, found that after 8 days of refrigeration some of the milk actually had lower bacterial levels than it did on the day it was expressed.
Right now I keep the milk in the warmer if Charlie doesn't finish it, and I reuse it within two hours or I toss it. Food that's been left out is supposed to be refrigerated within two hours, so I'm following the same principle.
What do you do with your precious liquid gold if your baby doesn't finish it at a feeding?
1) discard any used milk after a feeding
2) keep used milk at room temperature and use at the next feeding whenever that may be
3) keep used milk at room temperature and use it within a designated amount of time (eg one hour)
4) refrigerate the used milk and reheat for use at the next feeding
5) keep the milk in the warmer and reuse within a designated amount of time
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Comments (14)
We discard milk left after a feeding after 1 hour. I switch between breast and bottle (all breast milk) so I have hubby make the bottles a little short of what she would drink. That way there is rarely any milk left over and she is slightly unsatisfied at the end of a bottle feeding so she will prefer the breast even though it's a little more work.
hi! i learned from my husband, who is a medical student, that breast milk can be stored in a freezer for 3 months, in the fridge for 8 days and in room temperature for 8 hours... so, if i pump my milk at 1 am, i can leave it in room temp and give to my baby til 9 am.. unlike formula milk that can only be stored for 2 hours from the time of preparation.
and ahhh...aside from that, i use it as facial cleanser sometimes :)
hope my sharing helps u :)
Good gosh, don't throw it out! Unless it's starting to smell rancid, use it for other purposes if you don't feel confident giving it to baby. I know several women who cook with it.
In the beginning I did what you did, but since I made so much milk I just started throwing it out after an hour of being out of the refrigerator and I never reheated it more than once. Even though I didn't think that it was bad as far as contamination is concerned, I did think that it probably changed the flavor of the milk and it probably started denaturing some of the proteins and other components of the breastmilk.
I thought breastmilk was good at room temp for 8-10 hours. So yeah. I left it at room temp and used it again.
@ChicaLaLoca@xanga - I totally agree :)
I leave it at room temperature and if it
feelslike it's been too long, I'll use it for other things, like on her diaper rash or cradle cap.
I reuse within 1 hour, but to also be on the safe side I'm conservative with storing- i.e: I only freeze 2 to 4 oz at a time depending on how much they are currently eating.
I babysit my nephew and his milk (Breastmilk) I can leave out up to 8 hours, otherwise it goes in the fridge and if it isn't used in a week it is thrown out.
I've always refrigerated the leftovers and reheated if needed. Never had a problem with that...I think it's fine as long as it's used up within a few hours' time.
I freeze it and use it in the next couple of months. Those are good for emergencies or when they need more when traveling or away from home.
fridge and use the oldest first. you should switch between a little formula and mostly breastmilk and gradually ween you and your baby to lower natural milk and more formula and eventually milk and real food. (that way when you decide they are ready to be off it, formula won't give them as much painful gas and your breasts won't hurt as much as they would if you stopped suddenly.) My entire family feels that too much overprotection is bad for them. Mothers of 20 + years in medicine and one still in school for it and sister in school/ practicing medicine also with a 1 year old (they're getting all the new found info) (only pure things will leave their immune system weak. Just don't give them something thats been sitting for a week
)Congrats on your children.
to the last commenter - that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard in my life. babies don't need formula at any stage, if they are ready to be weaned there is no need to give them a bottle of "milk" other than breastmilk if you feel like it.